Ohio County Must Pay $120,000 for Excluding Christian Ministry From Foster Care

To settle a lawsuit brought by Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys, Montgomery County officials have agreed to pay more than $120,000 in attorneys’ fees after excluding a Christian organization from the foster care system. ADF attorneys represent Gracehaven, which is now free to continue its ministry of caring for young female sex-trafficking survivors in the county.

In 2024, Gracehaven sued the county and its Department of Job and Family Services. Officials there excluded the faith-based organization from a public program and benefit for which it is otherwise qualified based solely on the ministry’s commitment to hire only employees who share and adhere to its religious beliefs.

“The government can’t deny public benefits to a Christian ministry that is caring for young survivors of sex trafficking solely because of its religious character and exercise,” said ADF Legal Counsel Jake Reed. “Gracehaven is a force for good, offering comprehensive care, support, and a safe place to call home to the most vulnerable girls in Ohio. We’re pleased to favorably settle this lawsuit. The county agreed that it cannot exclude Gracehaven from the foster care system simply because it hires those who share its faith.”

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“Gracehaven empowers young girls rescued from sex trafficking by helping them thrive with dignity in a renewed life,” said Gracehaven Director Scott Arnold. “Our team of Christian employees is paramount to this work. As we help these girls work through their pain and trauma and move toward living healthy, fulfilling lives, our ability to hire like-minded people of faith to carry out our mission is essential. We’re grateful for Alliance Defending Freedom’s help in securing this victory.”

Founded in 2008, Gracehaven’s sex-trafficking prevention and rehabilitation work is done through a variety of programs and services, including Gracehaven’s state-licensed therapeutic group homes. The group homes provide a trauma-informed treatment model designed to meet the needs of young sex-trafficking survivors, who often struggle with serious emotional or behavioral consequences from their abuse. Girls are placed in Gracehaven’s group homes through the foster-care system, which is administered at the county level.

For several years, Montgomery County contracted with Gracehaven for “substitute” care services, where it would reimburse Gracehaven for its care with public funds. But the county suddenly decided to exclude Gracehaven in 2024, when Gracehaven told county officials that it was not waiving or surrendering its constitutionally protected freedom to employ those who share its faith.

In April of last year, the court ruled that as the case proceeded, the County could not exclude Gracehaven from the foster care system because it hires only those who share its faith. Now, in light of that ruling, the County agreed to make that permanent, and the lawsuit has ended favorably for the Christian ministry.

Due to the settlement, ADF attorneys filed a stipulated dismissal of the case, Gracehaven v. Montgomery County Department of Job and Family Services, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.